Best Software for Food Banks and Poverty Relief Charities in the UK (2026)

Food banks and poverty relief charities need software that tracks donated stock, manages client referrals, coordinates volunteers, and reports impact to funders — often with tiny teams and limited budgets. This guide compares the leading platforms available to UK food banks in 2026, from specialist food bank tools to broader charity CRMs that cover the full range of wrap-around support services.

TL;DR

Most UK food banks still run on spreadsheets, but growing demand and increasing complexity are pushing organisations towards dedicated software. The best platform for your food bank depends on whether you primarily need stock and inventory management (look at FoodBank Manager or Bankuet), client case management and wrap-around support (consider Plinth or Charitylog), or a full enterprise CRM (Salesforce). If you are a smaller operation focused mainly on parcel distribution, a specialist tool like FoodBank Manager may be sufficient. If you also deliver benefits advice, debt support, or mental health referrals, you will benefit from a broader platform with case management and referral tracking built in.

Why Food Banks Need Software in 2026

The scale of food bank operations in the UK has grown far beyond what paper records and spreadsheets can handle. In 2024/25, the Trussell network alone distributed 2.9 million emergency food parcels from 1,711 locations across the UK, with more than a million of those parcels going to children (Trussell, End of Year Stats). That figure does not include the at least 1,172 independent food banks operating outside the Trussell network, many of which are mapped by the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN, Data).

The demand is driven by deep structural need. In January 2025, 13.9% of UK households were classified as food insecure — meaning they ate less or went a full day without eating because they could not access or afford food (House of Commons Library, Food Poverty). Benefit delays, low income, and benefit changes remain the primary reasons people are referred to food banks (Trussell, Latest Stats).

The profile of food bank users also highlights the complexity of need. Disabled people make up 26% of the UK population but 69% of people referred to Trussell food banks. People living in social housing account for 8% of the population and 46% of referrals (Trussell, End of Year Stats). These figures underline that food bank users frequently need more than a food parcel — they need wrap-around support including benefits advice, debt guidance, and mental health referrals.

Managing all of this on spreadsheets is not just inefficient; it risks safeguarding gaps, missed referrals, and an inability to demonstrate impact when applying for funding. Software designed for charity operations can address these challenges directly.

What Food Banks Need from Software

Food bank operations vary enormously — from a single-session weekly pantry in a church hall to a multi-site distribution network with paid staff and dozens of volunteers. However, most organisations share a common set of requirements.

Stock and inventory tracking. Knowing what you have, what is running low, and what is approaching its use-by date is fundamental. Food banks receive donations from individuals, supermarkets, harvest festivals, and wholesale suppliers. Software should track items in and items out, flag shortages, and ideally handle dietary category tagging (halal, gluten-free, vegan) so parcels can be tailored to client needs. The average Trussell food bank distribution centre handles thousands of items per month, and manual stock counts are time-consuming and error-prone.

Client records and referral management. Most food banks operate a referral-based model, accepting referrals from agencies such as councils, GPs, Jobcentres, housing associations, and citizens advice bureaux. Software needs to record client details, track referral sources, manage voucher or e-referral processes, and log the number and type of parcels distributed. Good referral management also prevents duplication and helps identify clients who may benefit from additional support.

Volunteer management. Food banks are overwhelmingly volunteer-led. Trussell's 1,711 distribution points rely on tens of thousands of volunteers across the UK. Software should handle volunteer sign-ups, shift scheduling, DBS check tracking, and communication. Without a system, coordinators spend hours each week on WhatsApp groups and email chains trying to fill shifts.

Donation and fundraising tracking. Financial donations, Gift Aid claims, corporate partnerships, and grant income all need recording. Some platforms combine donation tracking with stock management so organisations get a complete picture of all resources flowing in and out.

Impact reporting. Funders, trustees, and local authority commissioners want evidence of impact — not just how many parcels were distributed, but what outcomes were achieved. Did a client receive benefits advice that resolved their income crisis? Was a family referred to a food club or cooking skills programme that reduced their long-term dependence on emergency food? Software that links client records to outcomes makes this reporting possible.

Wrap-around support tracking. The most effective food banks now offer far more than emergency food. They provide benefits advice, debt counselling, mental health signposting, fuel vouchers, and connections to other local services. In 2024/25, many Trussell centres reported that a growing proportion of their time was spent on these wrap-around services rather than parcel distribution alone. Software must be able to track these support interactions alongside food provision.

How Plinth Supports Food Banks and Poverty Relief Charities

Plinth is a modern charity CRM and operations platform built for UK nonprofits delivering frontline services. Its feature set maps directly to the requirements of food banks that have moved beyond basic parcel distribution into holistic poverty relief.

AI Stock Tracking. Plinth offers camera-first inventory management, allowing volunteers to scan and log donated items quickly. The system tracks stock levels, flags items running low, and provides real-time visibility of what is available across locations. This is particularly valuable during busy donation periods such as harvest festivals or supermarket collection drives. Learn more about AI Stock Tracking.

AI Case Management. For food banks providing wrap-around support, Plinth's case management tools track individual client journeys — from initial referral through benefits advice, debt support, and onward referrals. Caseworkers can log interactions, set follow-up tasks, and monitor whether clients' situations are improving over time. Learn more about Case Management.

Volunteering. Plinth handles volunteer shift scheduling, DBS tracking, and communication in a single module. Coordinators can see who is available, fill gaps in the rota, and track volunteer hours for impact reports. Learn more about Volunteering.

Partner CRM. Food banks work with a wide network of referral partners — councils, housing associations, GPs, citizens advice bureaux, and other charities. Plinth's partner directory and referral tracking tools help organisations manage these relationships and track where clients are being referred from and to. Learn more about Partner CRM.

Surveys. Gathering client feedback and measuring satisfaction is increasingly important for funders. Plinth's survey tools allow food banks to collect data from clients and volunteers without relying on separate platforms. Learn more about Surveys.

Impact Reporting. Plinth's built-in reporting tools pull data from stock tracking, case management, and surveys to generate the kind of impact reports that funders and commissioners expect. Organisations can demonstrate not just outputs (parcels distributed) but outcomes (clients supported into stable income). Learn more about Impact Reporting.

Castlehaven Food Bank in Camden, London, has used Plinth since October 2020 to manage referral networks, case management, and monitoring and reporting. With just 6 volunteers and staff, the team has supported 486 households across 17 wards of Camden. As Beatrix Neillie, Team Administrator, puts it: "It's good to have everything in one place, where everyone who has permission can access it."

Plinth is best suited to food banks that are growing beyond basic distribution and want a single platform for stock, clients, volunteers, and reporting. Smaller operations that only need parcel tracking may find a specialist tool more appropriate.

Other Software Options for Food Banks

Several other platforms serve UK food banks and poverty relief charities, each with different strengths and trade-offs.

FoodBank Manager

FoodBank Manager is a specialist platform designed specifically for food bank operations. It focuses on stock management, parcel tracking, and client records. The system makes stock management fast and accurate by providing real-time data on what is running low. It is used by food banks across the UK and is straightforward to set up. The paid version starts at around US$29.95 per month (approximately GBP 24). FoodBank Manager is a strong choice for organisations that need a focused, affordable tool for core distribution operations but do not require case management or volunteer scheduling.

Bankuet

Bankuet takes a different approach. Rather than managing internal operations, it connects food banks with donors by allowing supporters to purchase exactly what a food bank needs. Each week, food banks submit a shopping list, and Bankuet buys supplies in bulk from wholesalers and delivers them directly. Supporting over 100 food banks across 51 cities, Bankuet is the UK's first online zero-waste food donation platform. It complements rather than replaces operational software — a food bank might use Bankuet for supply chain and a CRM like Plinth for client management and volunteering.

Charitylog

Charitylog is a well-established CRM used by hundreds of UK charities, including many delivering advice, support, and community services. It offers case management, referral tracking, outcome monitoring, and reporting tools. Charitylog is particularly strong for organisations that deliver structured support programmes alongside food distribution. However, it does not include dedicated stock or inventory tracking features, so food banks would need to manage their physical stock separately.

Lamplight

Lamplight is another UK-focused charity database that handles case management, outcome tracking, and reporting. It is popular with smaller charities and community organisations. Like Charitylog, it does not offer built-in stock tracking but provides solid tools for managing client interactions and demonstrating impact. Lamplight is known for its flexible configuration and responsive support team.

Salesforce (Nonprofit Cloud)

Salesforce is the dominant CRM globally, and its Nonprofit Cloud offers extensive functionality for larger charities. It can handle donor management, volunteer coordination, case management, and custom reporting. Some larger food bank networks use Salesforce to manage operations across multiple sites. However, Salesforce requires significant configuration, typically needs a specialist implementation partner, and carries higher ongoing costs. It is generally best suited to organisations with dedicated IT capacity or a budget for external support. Salesforce offers discounted licences to UK charities through the Power of Us programme (10 free licences).

Spreadsheets (Google Sheets / Excel)

The most common "system" in the sector. Many food banks — particularly smaller, volunteer-run operations — manage everything in spreadsheets. While spreadsheets are free and familiar, they become unworkable as operations grow. They offer no referral tracking, no automated stock alerts, no volunteer scheduling, and no built-in reporting. The risk of data loss, version conflicts, and GDPR non-compliance also increases with scale. Spreadsheets are a reasonable starting point but become a bottleneck as demand grows.

Comparison Table

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common software used by UK food banks?

Spreadsheets remain the most widely used tool across UK food banks, particularly among smaller and volunteer-led operations. Among dedicated platforms, FoodBank Manager and Bankuet have the largest adoption within the food bank sector specifically. Larger organisations delivering wrap-around support increasingly use charity CRMs such as Charitylog, Lamplight, or Plinth. The Trussell network provides its member food banks with internal data collection tools, but independent food banks must source their own solutions.

Do food banks need a CRM or just stock tracking software?

It depends on what services you provide. If your food bank distributes emergency parcels based on referrals and does not offer additional support, a stock tracking tool like FoodBank Manager may be sufficient. However, if you also provide benefits advice, debt counselling, mental health signposting, or other wrap-around services — as a growing number of food banks do — you will benefit from a CRM that can track client journeys, manage referrals, and report on outcomes. With 69% of Trussell food bank referrals involving disabled people and nearly half involving social housing tenants, the complexity of client need often extends well beyond food provision.

How much does food bank software cost?

Costs vary widely. Spreadsheets are free but carry hidden costs in staff time and data risk. FoodBank Manager starts at around GBP 24 per month. Bankuet is free for food banks to use (it is funded by donor contributions). Charitylog and Lamplight offer tiered pricing based on organisation size — expect to pay from a few hundred to over a thousand pounds per year depending on the number of users. Salesforce offers 10 free licences to eligible nonprofits, but implementation and customisation costs can run into thousands. Plinth offers tailored pricing for charities — contact the team for a quote.

Can food bank software help with GDPR compliance?

Yes. Dedicated charity software typically includes consent management, access controls, data retention policies, and audit trails that spreadsheets cannot provide. This is particularly important for food banks, which collect sensitive personal data including household composition, income details, health conditions, and referral reasons. Using a platform with built-in GDPR features significantly reduces the risk of a data breach or non-compliance.

Recommended Next Pages

• What Is AI Stock Tracking? — How camera-first inventory management works for charities.
• Food Bank Inventory Management — A deeper look at managing donated stock effectively.
• Reduce Food Waste with Stock Tracking — How better tracking cuts waste and saves money.
• Case Management for Charities: A Beginner's Guide — Getting started with client support tracking.
• Volunteer Management Software — Comparing volunteer coordination platforms.
• Referral Software for Charities — How referral tracking improves multi-agency working.
• CRM for Small Charities — Choosing a CRM when budgets are tight.

Last updated: February 2026 Running a food bank or poverty relief service? Book a demo or contact our team.